BY EMMA PETER, ABUJA
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will host two major conferences in Abuja in December 2026 to strengthen border security, facilitate legitimate trade and advance economic integration across Africa.
According to a statement by the Deputy Comptroller of Customs and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, made available to Oxford Reporters on Sunday, October 25, 2026, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Conference will hold from December 7 to 8, while the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) 2026 Conference is scheduled for December 9 to 11, 2026.
The statement said the conferences would provide platforms for reviewing ongoing reforms, strengthening institutional partnerships and developing practical solutions to challenges affecting border management and cross-border trade.
The CGC Conference, themed “Securing Borders, Enabling Trade: A Customs Commitment to Safer Communities,” will focus on the relationship between effective Customs administration, national security and trade facilitation.
It will bring together government officials, Customs leadership, trade stakeholders and institutional partners to assess the Service’s modernisation efforts, review previous commitments and evaluate progress made in implementing reforms.
According to the statement, discussions will centre on the sub-themes, “Enabling African Trade: Digital Customs, Trusted Corridors and Seamless Payments” and “Secure Borders, Safer Communities: Intelligence, Partnership and Trust at the Frontline.”
The programme will also feature a review of commitments made in 2025 and results recorded in 2026, alongside presentations on Customs modernisation and the presentation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates.
The statement noted that digital transformation and stakeholder collaboration would feature prominently at the conference, providing opportunities to assess reform outcomes, identify implementation challenges and explore ways to improve Customs operations, trade efficiency and revenue generation.
Stakeholders expected to participate include AEO beneficiaries, the National Single Window Secretariat, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), excise-sector representatives and other relevant institutions.
The second day of the CGC Conference will focus on coordinated responses to emerging border threats, with relevant security and enforcement agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the NCS, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), expected to contribute to discussions.
The engagements will examine intelligence-led enforcement, information sharing, inter-agency cooperation and the professional responsibilities of Customs officers in protecting communities and maintaining public trust.
The C-PACT 2026 Conference, which follows the national gathering, will extend the discussions to the continental level, bringing together African Customs administrations, policymakers, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Regional Economic Communities, border management agencies, development partners, technology providers and private-sector stakeholders.
The conference, themed “One Border, Interconnected Systems: Advancing Customs Cooperation through One-Stop Border Posts,” will focus on strengthening cooperation among African Customs administrations and improving digital connectivity to facilitate trade across the continent.
The statement explained that the conference would address persistent challenges affecting cross-border commerce, including fragmented procedures, duplicated controls, limited information exchange, incompatible digital systems and inadequate coordination among border agencies.
It added that discussions would explore how One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs), supported by interconnected Customs platforms, harmonised procedures, coordinated risk management and secure information exchange, could reduce delays, lower trade costs and improve the movement of goods across African trade corridors.
The C-PACT 2026 programme will feature high-level policy dialogue, strategic discussions among Customs administrations, technical sessions on connected borders, presentations on operational experiences from existing and emerging OSBPs, technology demonstrations and discussions on public-private partnerships for financing and developing modern border infrastructure.
Participants will also examine the implementation of key AfCFTA initiatives, including the AfCFTA Integrated Transit System, the Single Bond Guarantee Scheme and the Electronic Certificate of Origin system.
The conference is expected to generate practical recommendations, identify priority technology and investment opportunities, strengthen institutional partnerships and develop an implementation-oriented roadmap for interconnected, digitally enabled border systems across Africa.
The NCS, under the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with national institutions, regional partners and international stakeholders to secure borders, facilitate legitimate trade and support Africa’s economic integration agenda.
The statement added that the outcomes of both conferences were expected to improve Customs operations, strengthen regional cooperation and advance the AfCFTA’s objective of building a more integrated, competitive and prosperous African market.
